Three days after I had asked the bird guardian beasts to investigate Marion.
I was in a corner of the courtyard, receiving their report.
โHo-hoo!โ
โHmm, hmm. So Marion is sleeping alone in the annex, is she?โ
โHo!โ
โYes, Lady Luria, that seems to be the case!โ
Of course, I couldnโt understand the language of animals, so I relied on Kuro to interpret for me.
Whenever Kuro asked a question, the leader of the bird guardians, an owl, would answer on their behalf.
I had asked Darw, Carro, and Koruko to keep watch so no one would catch me talking with Kuro. Even so, I remained cautious, glancing around as I questioned the owl.
โWas she being properly taken care of?โ
โHo-ho-hoo.โ
โNo, she wasnโt. It seems she had to retrieve her three meals a day herself from outside the door,โ Kuro translated.
The birds were incredibly capable, managing to locate Marion in the vast royal capital. Not only that, they had observed her thoroughly.
โShe wasnโt being looked after because it might be contagious?โ
โโฆHo.โ
โThat could be the reason,โ Kuro replied.
Poor Marion. Being left alone when youโre sick is unbearably lonely, unsettling, and heartbreaking.
The memory of falling ill in my previous life overlapped with Marionโs situation, and tears welled up in my eyes as I imagined what she was going through.
โMaybe they had no choice, since itโs contagiousโฆโ
I wiped away my tears with my sleeve. Marion was the one suffering, not me. This wasnโt the time to cry.
โWas Marion able to eat?โ
โHo.โ
โSheโs barely eaten anything. Sheโs become extremely thin,โ Kuro translated somberly.
If she doesnโt eat, she wonโt recover. Time might be running out.
โWhat are her symptoms? Does she have a fever or headaches?โ
โHo-ho, ho-ho-ho, ho~.โ
โHigh fever and headaches, and rashes as the main symptoms,โ Kuro explained.
โThose symptomsโฆ could it be that illness I treated in my previous life?โ
In my past life, I had treated tens of thousands of peopleโand even caught the disease myself.
It was highly contagious and had a high mortality rate. Even if you survived, your entire body would be left with scars. Of course, if I used my healing magic, no scars would remain.
โI thinkโฆ it was called Redpox?โ
I had heard the name came from the way it turned the entire body red, leaving pockmarks even after recovery.
โIf itโs Redpox, then itโs not unusual for her not to be cared forโฆโ
In my previous life, no one cared for me either. It was natural since I was bullied, but even the patients I treated were isolated and rarely looked after.
Those who became too weak to feed themselves were the first to die.
โBut if itโs Redpox, I can cure it.โ
After visiting the wet nurseโs child, I would sneak into the annex where Marion was and use my healing magic.
If it was Redpox, my parents would never allow anyone to see Marion. It was a disease that killed about half the children who caught it.
When I asked about her symptoms, my father probably lied, claiming he didnโt know. If he had mentioned the disease by name, I might have learned of its high fatality rate and been frightened.
โShould Iโฆ make some rice porridge?โ
โThereโs no way to deliver it,โ Kuro pointed out.
โHmmโฆ What should I do then?โ
โMaybe bring her some sweets?โ Kuro suggested.
โYeah, thatโs a good idea.โ
Sweets are sweet and full of nutrients. When youโre starving, something sweet can truly reach your soul.
Marion, who hadnโt been eating much, was surely craving something sweet.
โThanks, everyone,โ I said, stroking each of the birds gently.
I also asked them to continue gathering information in the future.
Three days after Luria asked to visit the wet nurseโs child. That afternoon.
โThe sweets are delicious! I want more! So good!โ
Watching Luria enthusiastically eating snacks in the dining hall, Amalia felt a bad premonition.
Luriaโs tone was overly exaggerated.
And next to her, Darw was acting suspiciously, glancing around nervously as if they were up to something.
โโฆโ
As Amalia peeked into the dining hall from outside, her eyes met with those of Carro, the prairie dog.
Carro tilted her head, feigning innocence.
Whenever Luria was up to something, Carro was particularly skilled at playing dumb.
โLady Luria, please eat your sweets more slowly,โ the maid cautioned.
โIโll be careful!โ
Even after being scolded, Luria continued munching her snacks enthusiastically, as if competing with Koruko.
When Luria was scheming, Koruko never bothered to cover it up.
That was Amaliaโs conclusion.
Whether the plan failed or succeeded, Koruko seemed to believe it would work out in Luriaโs favor either wayโor so it appeared to Amalia.
Of course, Koruko, being just a chicken, couldnโt possibly have such deep thoughts.
Unaware that Amalia was watching, Luria quietly glanced around as she returned to her room.
As usual, Darw stuck close to Luria, looking around nervously, clearly hiding something.
Amalia decided to follow them.
Once back in her room, Luria began working on something.
โWafuu~?โ
โDarw, donโt eat that. This isโฆโ
As expected, she seemed to be up to something.
The memory of the praying mantis egg incident flashed through Amaliaโs mind, and she couldnโt help but speak up.
โโฆLuria?โ
โAh! Itโs nothing!โ
Luria was wrapping something in a handkerchief and quickly hid it behind her back.
โYouโre not planning to eat grasshoppers again, are you?โ
โN-no, Iโm not!โ
She was flustered. Luria was terrible at lying; her face gave her away immediately.
โIf not grasshoppers, then maybe cicadas?โ
โN-no! Thereโs nothing here!โ
โDid you bring home another new animal?โ
โI-I didnโt do anything like that!โ
Luria was clearly panicking too much.
โThen, can you show it to your mother? You can show it, right?โ
โUhโฆ no, I canโt.โ
As expected, she must be hiding something similar to a grasshopper.
โLuria. Just show me what it is.โ
โโฆOkay.โ
When Amalia pressed her, Luria gave in and showed her the handkerchief.
What was wrapped inside wasnโt a bug but one of the cookies that had been served earlier as snacks.
Amalia was relieved it wasnโt an insect.
โLuria, why were you hiding sweets?โ
โUmโฆ well, you seeโฆโ
Luria hesitated, but Amalia could sense her intentions.
โMother isnโt angry. Iโm sorry for using a stern toneโI thought it was a bug.โ
โA bug, huhโฆโ
Hearing that, Luriaโs expression lit up, as if she had just thought of a great idea.
โNo bugs, alright?โ
โI know!โ
โโฆWere you planning to give the sweets to the wet nurseโs child?โ
Amalia suspected Luria might have been planning to give grasshoppers to the wet nurseโs child. Luria had a tendency to treasure bugs as if they were little treasures, almost like a boy.
Incidentally, Luriaโs wet nurseโs child was a girl named Sara.
โWell thenโฆ Luria, if itโs sweets for the wet nurseโs child, Iโll prepare proper ones for you. You go ahead and eat those.โ
โโฆOkay. Nom, nom, nom.โ
Luria immediately started eating.
Amalia marveled at how much Luria ate, wondering where all that food went in her small body.
Luria ate two or three times as much as Lydia had at five years old, yet she never seemed to gain weight. Amalia found that enviable.
โSweets can spoil, you know. Even if they donโt, they dry out and become hard and not as tasty.โ
โTheyโre still tasty when theyโre hard,โ Luria replied, tilting her head in confusion.
Though Luria had never experienced hunger, she disliked wasting food.
Even cold rice or dried, hardened sweetsโthings that normal noble daughters or even servants would avoidโLuria happily ate as though searching for the good in every bite.
โThatโs true. But freshly made ones are tastier. Iโm sure the wet nurseโs child will appreciate that more, donโt you think?โ
โYouโre right. Mother, make sure to prepare plenty of sweets, okay?โ
โOf course, I will.โ
It seemed like Luria was worried that the wet nurseโs child might be hungry.
But the wet nurseโs father was a wealthy baron. The child was in no danger of starvation.
โThereโs no need to worry. Youโre so kind, Luria.โ
Amalia gently hugged Luria.